Showing papers by "Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse published in 2009"

Drawing the line on risky use of cannabis: Assessing problematic use with the ASSIST

Abstract: Health and social harms from cannabis use typically are assessed by comparing those who use to those who do not use. Recognizing that not all use of cannabis is necessarily problematic, we examine rates of self-reported harms as a function of frequency of use. Second, we assess the effectiveness of the cannabis portion of the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) as a screening tool for identifying problematic cannabis users. Data come from the Canadian Addiction Survey (CAS; N = 13,909) and the 2006 NWT Addictions Survey (2006 NWTAS; N = 1235). Results from both surveys indicate that harms are most likely among weekly and daily users. Although frequent users are at increased risk of harms, greater balance of sensitivity with specificity is obtained with the ASSIST screening tool using a somewhat higher threshold than what is suggested in clinical applications of the instrument. Implications for this higher threshold for public policy are discussed.

The Accuracy of Evaluations by Drug Recognition Experts in Canada

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to illustrate the accuracy with which police officers trained as Drug Recognition Experts (DREs) can identify the category of drug(s) ingested by persons suspected of being impaired as the result of drug use. The study examined 1,349 drug evaluations completed by DREs in Canada to determine the extent to which DRE opinions about the category of drug(s) used matched the results of toxicological analysis of fluid samples. The paper presents measures of sensitivity, specificity, the false alarm rate, and miss rate for all drug categories combined as well as for the most commonly found substances. The data demonstrate that the drug evaluations conducted by DREs in Canada are accurate.

An Examination of Canadian Social Work Program Curriculum and The Addiction Core Competencies

Abstract: The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, in conjunction with key Canadian stakeholders, has developed a guideline outlining 18 core competencies for those working with clients with addiction issues The curriculum of Canada's 35 faculties and schools of social work were examined using the core competencies to determine the extent of addiction education received by undergraduate and graduate social work students All social work addiction courses were elective offerings, although faculty teaching in this area did express a desire to shift the focus of addiction studies away from elective to core course offerings The majority of competency-based education at the faculties and schools of social work is taught at a generalist level, and graduate schools of social work teach fewer core addiction competencies than undergraduate Although competency-based education is generally viewed positively and adopted at faculties and schools of social work, only one third of addiction courses matched with the 18 core comp

Beginning with Our Voices: How the Experiential Stories of First Nations Women Contribute to a National Research Project.

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to review how the experiential stories of First Nations women contribute to a national research project. The project focuses on how women’s healing is impacted by their views about themselves as - and the stigma associated with being - a drug user, involved in crime and an Aboriginal woman. Our project began with three First Nations women on our research team documenting the role of stigma and self-identity in their personal healing journeys from problematically using drugs and being in conflict with the law. In this paper we discuss how key components of feminist research practices, Aboriginal methodology and community-based research helped us position the women’s experiential stories in authoritative, recognized and celebrated ways in our study. We illustrate how the women’s stories uniquely contributed to the creation of our interview questions and the research project in general. We also discuss how the women personally benefited from writing about and sharing their experiences. Key benefits include the women discovering the impact of the written word, promotion of their healing, personal recognition of their ability to offer hope to women in need, increased self-esteem, and increased appreciation of the importance of sharing their lived experiences with others. Our method of research differs from a conventional western scientific approach to understanding, and as such made important contributions to both the project itself and the women who shared their experiential stories.